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There's a cynical joke at Google that's something along the lines of "we're mostly calling other services and moving protocol buffers around." I think most peo
by Ozzie_osman 7y ago
There's a cynical joke at Google that's something along the lines of "we're mostly calling other services and moving protocol buffers around."
I think most people at FAANG companies probably end up doing the same. For every Jeff Dean doing something cutting edge there are probably like a 1000 engineers working on things that really aren't that glamorous, like iterative product improvements and integration.
- sidcool 7y agoDoes it make sense to continue stitching services? God knows I have paid my dues. I owe myself something meaningful.
- Ozzie_osman 7y agoHonestly, if you're unhappy with your work it's worth looking around. I'd just think about what you would find fulfilling, because it differs from person to person. A good framework is from the book Drive by Daniel Pink. He argues work motivation can come from (a combination) of three things: autonomy (being able to self-direct your work), mastery (being good at and improving at your craft), and purpose (seeing a connection between your effort and some impact you care about). Which of those matter more and in what way are unique to you. If you care about mastery and intellectually stimulating work, you should seek it out. And not all challenges are purely technical, sometimes there are interesting product or team challenges as well. On the other hand if you're happier working on some mission you're passionate about, maybe that's more important to look for. I just felt like you held too much reverence for FAANG type companies. They are obviously successful and full of smart people, but may not scratch the itch you're looking for.